Buy:
D.J. Augustin (Owned in 14 of Yahoo leagues): Augustin has quietly scored double-digit points in eight of his last 11 games and is averaging 11.5 points, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 threes over that stretch. Not only can he provide a steady dose of assists and passable points, there are plenty of rumors swirling that Kirk Hinrich will be traded which would leave Augustin as the main point guard in Chicago. He’s already averaging 31.5 minutes over his last 11 games, though, and is a must-have for assist-hungry teams.
Jodie Meeks (42 percent): It’s kind of startling to see Meeks unowned in more than half of Yahoo leagues considering how well he’s played since the Kobe Bryant injury. He has now scored 13+ points in 11 of his last 12 games, averaging 16.3 points per game over that stretch. The 41 percent shooting is rough but he takes a lot of threes and averages 2.3 three-pointers per game, along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.2 steals over his last 12. With a depleted backcourt, expect Meeks to continue to put up stats on volume alone.
Randy Foye (39 percent): After being benched for a few games in late December, Foye has now scored double-digit points in six straight games and is averaging 15 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.2 threes over his last five. He’s also shooting 50 percent from the floor and 41 percent from downtown over that stretch.
Darren Collison (54 percent): With Chris Paul sidelined, Collison is running with his newfound minutes. In four games since Paul went down, Collison is averaging 35 minutes, 17.5 points, 5.8 assists, 2.3 steals, and 3.3 rebounds. He’s also shooting 61.5 percent from the floor and 40 percent from downtown. He should be owned in all of fantasy basketball land until Paul returns.
Kendall Marshall (47 percent): We knew Marshall was an inconsistent scorer going in. Over his last four games, he has scored 20, 9, 18, and 5. That’s fine, because over those four games he’s averaging 11.5 assists per game and shooting a reasonable 44 percent. The turnovers can be problematic but if you need assists, Marshall should provide a steady dose until the rest of the Lakers backcourt gets healthy.
Sell:
Jared Sullinger: No one expected Kris Humphries to do anything this season but he has, and he’s pushed Sully to the bench. Sullinger has failed to play 20 minutes in three straight games and was benched and played just 12 minutes on Wednesday. He’s failed to record double-digit points in any of those games and is shooting a miserable 28 percent from the floor over his last six. Rebounds or not, no one playing less than 20 minutes is worth owning.
Brandan Wright: Over his first nine games of the season, Wright averaged 11.4 points, four rebounds, and a block over just 20 minutes per game, and shot a phenomenal 75 percent from the floor. Over his last three games, he’s averaging just eight points and has failed to play 20 minutes in back-to-back games. Time to cut him loose.
J.R. Smith: Minutes usually equal production. That’s not the case with J.R. “Swish.” Despite playing 30 minutes per game over his last four, he’s averaging just 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting a laughable 31 percent from the floor and 19 percent from downtown. He’s shooting under 35 percent on the season and, really, you can’t play any worse than he has. Just do what the Knicks wish they could and cut your losses now.
Lou Williams: Wait, you can play worse than Smith has. At the end of December, Williams went on a little five game stretch where he averaged 17.4 points and three three-pointers per game. In five games since, he is averaging just 4.8 points and 0.8 threes while shooting a miserable 23 percent from the floor. Gross. He shouldn’t be owned anywhere.
